Method for playing a game to teach players how to control their interpersonal behavior

ABSTRACT

A method of playing a board game designed to teach players how to control their interpersonal behavior to achieve goals. The method includes providing first and second play areas, each having a respective plurality of spaces connected to form a respective path, wherein the two paths are noncontiguous from each other. Within each path, spaces associated with a first behavior category are interspersed with spaces associated with a second behavior category. The proportion of first category spaces to second category spaces is substantially higher in the second play area than in the first. The method further includes associating the first and second behavior categories with themes of connecting and disconnecting behaviors, respectively, providing a token for each player, and moving the token along the first path. Upon the occurrence of a particular event during play, the token is removed to the second path for further movement.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a divisional of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/775,457, filed Feb. 10, 2004, pending, and entitled “BOARD GAME FOR TEACHING PLAYERS TO USE CONNECTING HABITS,” which is hereby incorporated herein by reference, and which application is a nonprovisional of and claims priority to provisional U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/446,199 filed Feb. 10, 2003, expired, and entitled “BOARD GAME FOR TEACHING PLAYERS TO USE CONNECTING HABITS,” which is also hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

1. Field of the Present Invention

The present invention relates generally to a board game, and more particularly to a board game to be used as an instructional tool in the teaching about how to create and enjoy relationships.

2. Background

There are numerous board games in which success is achieved according to pure chance. An important element of this game is to require players to focus on their own experiences and the experiences of others in order to come to a better understanding of how personal habits can either create or destroy interpersonal relationships.

It has been hypothesized that human happiness may be achieved by fulfilling five basic needs. These needs have been characterized as “love and belonging,” “power,” “freedom,” “fun,” and “survival.” Each need has different meanings to different people. Whether they are aware of it or not, every person has tucked away mental pictures of those things that would satisfy each of these needs. Because the mental pictures are of things that we want or need most in life, the images and the area in our minds that contains these images may be referred to as “The Quality World.”

It has also been hypothesized that the most important basic need in “The Quality World” is Love and Belonging, and that if this need can be met, satisfaction of the other needs will soon follow. To satisfy their needs, humans use the only tools that they have at their disposal; namely, their ability to think and to act (behave). Thinking and acting (behaving) are influenced by emotions. Humans think and act (behave) differently if they are under the control of their emotions as opposed to when they are in control of their emotions. These situations are referred to herein as “Situation A” and “Situation B.” In Situation A, one's thoughts and behavior are under the control of one's emotions, and one is much more likely to use “disconnecting habits or “disconnecting behaviors;” that is, one is much more likely to engage in certain behaviors or behavior patterns that tend to damage or inhibit the establishment or maintenance of healthy interpersonal relationships. However, in Situation B, one is in control of one's emotions, and one is much more likely to use “connecting habits or connecting behaviors;” that is, one is much more likely to engage in certain behaviors or behavior patterns that tend to enhance or facilitate the creation of healthy interpersonal relationships. One must use the “connecting habits” in order to create happy relationships that will satisfy one's Love and Belonging Need.

The question then is whether one can control one's emotions. It is believed that the answer is yes—if in fact one's emotions are the only things in life that one can control. However, one can control his emotions only if one chooses to. Thus, the ability to control one's emotions is a personal choice. In other words, it is each individual's choice to either control or not to control his emotions. Once an individual chooses to control his emotions, then he may choose to use the “connecting habits.” Further, the choices one makes dictate whether one is successful in obtaining one's “Quality World” needs and whether one is the winner of the game of the present invention.

The game teaches that if an individual chooses to control his emotions then he is much more likely to use the “connecting habits.” This will allow him to be successful in satisfying his Love and Belonging need (happy relationships) and will facilitate winning the game. On the other hand, if an individual chooses to let his emotions control him, then he is much more likely to use the “disconnecting habits,” which will result in unhappy relationships, and will not facilitate winning the game.

These principles are taught and illustrated through the use of a playing board having two main areas, representing Situation A and Situation B. Each area includes a circular sequence of spaces, each representing an aspect of the human experience. Because all humans have a basic need of loving and belonging and humans tend to start out in life choosing to allow their emotions to control their thoughts and actions, humans tend to begin in Situation A. The game teaches its players how to get out of Situation A by choosing to control their emotions and using “Connecting Habits.” The Connecting Habits are harder to use in Situation A because of the relatively lower proportion of Connecting Habits spaces to the total number of spaces. Thus, this relatively smaller percentage represents the fact that emotions are controlling the player's thinking and acting and causing the player to use “Disconnecting Habits.” This is indicative of the human experience, in that escaping Situation A is difficult without personal growth and education on how to control emotions and how to use the Connecting Habits. Once a player moves to Situation B, the reverse is true: the proportion of Connecting Habits spaces to the total number of spaces is much higher. This higher percentage represents the fact that in Situation B the player is in control of his emotions and that he uses the Connecting Habits to create happy relationships.

In summary, as long as a player or person remains in Situation A, he will not achieve a happy relationship, nor will he win the game. Only by controlling his emotions and practicing the Connecting Habits will he be able to move to Situation B, where he will build closer human relationships and win the game.

SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The playing board includes two play areas corresponding to Situation A and Situation B, respectively, as well as areas for storing various stacks of cards. Each of the Situation A and Situation B areas includes a circular sequence of playing spaces of different colors, with each color having a different significance. The pale yellow spaces denote pleasurable experiences; the red spaces denote painful experiences; the green spaces denote neutral experiences; and the gold spaces denote the five basic needs of a person's “quality world.” In Situation A, the spaces denoting painful experiences are as numerous as, or even more numerous than, the spaces denoting pleasurable experience, in correlation to the situation that individuals find themselves in when they allow themselves to use disconnecting habits as often as they do the connecting habits. In Situation B, the spaces denoting pleasurable experience are far more numerous than those denoting painful experiences, in correlation to the desired goal of practicing connecting habits and eliminating disconnecting habits.

Several stacks of cards are placed on the board, with each stack of cards corresponding to human experiences or needs. Included are pale yellow cards, each of which corresponds to a particular connecting habit; red cards, each of which corresponds to a particular disconnecting habit; and gold cards, each of which corresponds to a basic human need. A stack of green cards may also be included, each of which corresponds to a particular neutral experience, habit or relationship.

Players take turns rolling a die and moving their token around one of the two play areas, beginning with the area marked “Situation A.” If the player's token lands on a space corresponding to one of the various cards, then the player must draw a card from the corresponding stack and read it aloud. In addition, the player must give an example of the type of experience, behavior, need or the like that is shown on the card. Finally, the player is credited with positive or negative points, depending on the type of card and other factors.

The objective of each player is two-fold: first, the player needs to gain enough points in Situation A in order to be able to advance to Situation B; and second, the player needs to gain enough points in Situation B in order to be able to win the game. Each player is rewarded with positive points for practicing Connecting Habits and penalized with negative points for practicing Disconnecting Habits. If the player is in Situation A, then when the Connecting Habits outweigh the Disconnecting Habits, the player is able to advance to Situation B. This is achieved by collecting a predetermined number of points via the cards. If the player is in Situation B, then if the player use Connecting Habits often enough, the player wins the game. This is likewise achieved by collecting a predetermined number of points via the cards.

Broadly defined, the present invention according to one aspect is a board game designed to teach players how to control their behavior to achieve one or more goals, including: at least one play area, the play area including a plurality of spaces, wherein a first portion of the plurality of spaces of the play area are associated with a first behavior category and a second portion of the plurality of spaces of the play area are associated with a second behavior category; and a token, representative of a particular player, for moving from space to space in the at least one play area; wherein the first behavior category comprises a theme of connecting behaviors and the second behavior category comprises a theme of disconnecting behaviors.

In features of this aspect, when a player's token lands upon a space associated with the first behavior category, an example of a connecting behavior is provided, and when a player's token lands upon a space associated with the second behavior category, an example of a disconnecting behavior is provided; the respective examples are provided on cards drawn by the respective player from a collection of cards associated with the respective theme or the respective examples are provided by the player whose token landed on the respective space; when the player provides an example of a connecting behavior, the player is awarded a number of points, the number of points being determined by another person based on the example provided by the player; the board game further includes one or more cards entitling the player possessing such a card to decline to provide an example of a connecting or disconnecting behavior when otherwise required by the rules of the game; when an example of a connecting behavior is provided, the respective player is awarded a number of points; the winner of the game is determined based upon the accumulation of points by the players; and the number of points awarded the player is predetermined.

In other features of this aspect, each example of a connecting behavior that is provided must be of a particular type of connecting behavior, selected from a set of connecting behavior types according to the rules of the game; the set of connecting behavior types include at least four of the following: “listening,” “supporting,” “encouraging,” respecting,” “trusting,” “accepting” and “negotiating;” each example of a disconnecting behavior that is provided must be of a particular type of disconnecting behavior, selected from a set of disconnecting behavior types according to the rules of the game; the set of disconnecting behavior types include at least four of the following: “criticizing,” “blaming,” “complaining,” “nagging,” “threatening,” “punishing” and “bribing;” the board game further includes a set of cards associated with the theme of connecting behaviors, each card being marked with an indicium corresponding to a particular type of connecting behavior; and the board game may be implemented on a computer.

The present invention according to another aspect is a board game designed to teach players how to control their behavior to achieve one or more goals, including: a first play area having a first plurality of spaces; a second play area having a second plurality of spaces; and at least one token, each representative of a particular player, for moving from space to space in the first play area, and upon the occurrence of a particular event during play, for moving from space to space in the second play area; wherein each token is more likely to land on spaces associated with a first behavior category, the first category comprising a theme of proper behavior patterns, and less likely to land on spaces corresponding to a second behavior category, the second category comprising a theme of improper behavior patterns, in the second play area than in the first play area.

In features of this aspect, the theme of proper behavior patterns comprises a theme of connecting behaviors, and wherein the theme of improper behavior patterns comprises a theme of disconnecting behaviors; each token begins in the first play area, and the preliminary goal of each player is to move his token from the first play area to the second play area; each player must accumulate a predetermined number of points in the first play area in order to move his token to the second play area; each player must accumulate a predetermined number of points in the second play area in order to win the game; the first plurality of spaces includes at least some spaces corresponding to proper behaviors and at least some of the spaces corresponding to improper behaviors, the second plurality of spaces includes at least some spaces corresponding to proper behaviors and at least some of the spaces corresponding to improper behaviors, and the proportion of spaces corresponding to proper behaviors to spaces corresponding to improper behaviors is substantially higher in the second play area than in the first play area; the board game further includes a first set of textual messages whose content corresponds in theme to improper behaviors and a second set of textual messages whose content corresponds in theme to proper behaviors, and the first and second sets of textual messages are used to control play when tokens land on spaces corresponding to improper behaviors and spaces corresponding to proper behaviors, respectively; the first and second sets of textual messages are contained on cards; and the board game may be implemented on a computer.

Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, embodiments, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description with reference to the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary board for playing a game in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of exemplary game components to be used with the board of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary set of “Connecting Habits” cards;

FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary set of “Disconnecting Habits” cards; and

FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary set of “Quality World Needs” cards.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings, in which like numerals represent like components throughout the several views, the preferred embodiments of the present invention are next described. The following description of the preferred embodiment(s) is merely exemplary in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

In a preferred embodiment, the game 10 includes a board 12, a token 16 for each player, a random number generator 18, a scorecard 19 and a collection of cards 14, and may also include written background materials and instructions (not shown) for playing the game 10. FIG. 1 is a plan view of an exemplary board 12 for playing a game 10 in accordance with the present invention. The board 12 includes two play areas 20, 22 corresponding to Situation A and Situation B, respectively, as well as areas 24, 26, 28 for storing various stacks of cards 14. Each of the Situation A and Situation B areas 20, 22 includes a circular path or sequence of playing spaces 29 of different types, which may be denoted with different colors, labels, decoration, images, or the like, or a combination thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the path in each of the respective Situation A and Situation B areas 20, 22 includes at least four different types of spaces 29: pale yellow spaces 32, red spaces 34, green spaces 36 and gold spaces 38, wherein the pale yellow spaces 32 denote pleasurable experiences, the red spaces 34 denote painful experiences, the green spaces 36 denote neutral experiences, and the gold spaces 38 denote the five basic needs of a person's “quality world.”

In the Situation A path, the spaces 34 denoting painful experiences are as numerous as the spaces 32 denoting pleasurable experience, in correlation to the situation that individuals find themselves in when they allow themselves to use disconnecting habits as often as they do the connecting habits. In the Situation B path, the spaces 32 denoting pleasurable experience are far more numerous than those spaces 34 denoting painful experiences, in correlation to the desired goal of practicing connecting habits and eliminating disconnecting habits. Because of the different proportions of the various spaces 32, 34, 36, 38 to the total number of spaces 29 in each of the Situation A and Situation B paths, it may be preferable to arrange the Situation A area 20 on the inner portion of the board 12 and the Situation B area 22 on the outer portion of the board 12. However, it should be apparent that a wide variety of alternative arrangements are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of exemplary game components to be used with the board 12 of FIG. 1. As shown therein, the tokens 16 may be small automobile-shaped objects of different colors or shapes, but may generally be any objects small enough to fit comfortably on the spaces 29 of the board 12, heavy enough not to be easily blown or shaken off the board 12, and easily distinguishable from the other tokens 16. The random number generator 18 may be a die as shown or any other device capable of generating small random whole numbers. The scorecard 19 may simply be a blank chart printed on paper as shown, or even a blank sheet of paper. Preferably, however, a plurality of such sheets of paper are provided in order to facilitate repeated playings of the game 10. Background materials may include books, pamphlets or even a single sheet of paper explaining the purposes of the game 10 so that the players may better understand and learn from the game 10. Instructions may be printed on the front or back of the board 12, on a separate sheet of paper, or the like.

The cards 14 are preferably divided into several different sets, including at least a set of “Connecting Habits” cards 40, a set of “Disconnecting Habits” cards 42, and a set of “Quality World” cards 44. FIG. 3 is an illustration of an exemplary set of “Connecting Habits” cards 40; FIG. 4 is an illustration of an exemplary set of “Disconnecting Habits” cards 42; and FIG. 5 is an illustration of an exemplary set of “Quality World Needs” cards 44. Each card 40, 42, 44 in each set corresponds to a particular theme, which may be a connecting habit, a disconnecting habit, or a basic need. As illustrated, the set of Connecting Habits cards 40 includes at least one card each for “listening,” “supporting,” “encouraging,” respecting,” “trusting,” “accepting” and “negotiating.” The set of Disconnecting Habits cards 42 includes at least one card each for “criticizing” or “being critical,” “blaming,” “complaining,” “nagging,” “threatening,” “punishing” and “bribing” or “rewarding control.” The set of Quality World cards 44 includes at least one card each for “love and belonging,” “power,” “freedom,” “fun” and “survival.” It should be apparent, however, that the teachings of the game 10 are applicable to a wide variety of human needs and behaviors, and that the habits and needs identified herein may be supplemented, revised, minimized or otherwise changed. In addition, those skilled in the art will recognize that human behavior and psychology may be classified in other ways, and thus the cards 14 may be categorized and otherwise organized in different manners to achieve the principles being taught or studied.

One side of each card 40, 42, 44 in a set is decorated to indicate the set to which the card 40, 42, 44 belongs, while on the other side of each card 40, 42, 44 is printed a textual message 46 related to the particular theme of the card 40, 42, 44. The decorations on each set of cards 40, 42, 44 preferably match one of the designated card areas 24, 26, 28 on the board 12 and with one of the types of spaces 32, 34, 36, 38 described above. Thus, in the exemplary embodiment described herein, the Connecting Habits cards 40, which correspond to pleasurable experiences, are pale yellow in color; the Disconnecting Habits cards 42, which correspond to painful experiences, are red in color; and the Quality World Needs cards 44, which correspond to basic human needs, are gold in color.

The textual message 46 preferably includes some type of indication of the card's theme (a particular habit or need) as well as a point value indication, which may be positive or negative. In an exemplary embodiment, the theme indicator is a one-to-three word name for a particular habit or need, but it should be apparent that the theme indicator may include a longer description of the habit or need, an example of the habit or need, or the like, or any combination thereof. The point value indicator is preferably a number representing the number of points for which the card 14 is worth. The number of points is preferably chosen in conjunction with the point targets of the game 10, and may be adjusted upward or downward relative to those targets to lengthen or shorten the game 10. In an exemplary embodiment, the point values for the Connecting Habits cards 40 range in value from +50 to +150 points; the point values for the Disconnecting Habits cards 42 range in value from −25 to −50 points; and the point values for the Quality World cards 44 range in value from +100 to +200 points.

The game 10 may be best played by at least two and no more than six players, but the game 10 may also have value for a single player playing alone or by larger numbers of players, particularly if modifications are made to the primary preferred embodiment described and illustrated herein to accommodate additional players. Before play may begin, it may be useful to designate a scorekeeper. The scorekeeper may be one of the players or a non-playing individual, such as a moderator, counselor, teacher, facilitator, or other observer. The cards 14 should be organized into their various sets and may be shuffled if desired, and each set of cards 40, 42, 44 may then be placed in its designated location on the game board 12. A token is assigned to each player and placed on the designated “Start” space 30 in the Situation A area 20 of the board 12. If there are multiple players, then their order of play may be chosen through the roll of the dice 18 or by some other conventional means.

To play, the players take turns, according to the selected order, rolling the dice 18 and moving their token 16 the indicated number of spaces 29 around the inner path of the Situation A area 20. In the illustrated embodiment, all token movement, whether in the Situation A path or the Situation B path of the board 12, occurs in a clockwise direction. If after moving the indicated number of spaces 29 a player's token 16 lands on a green “neutral” space 36, then the player's turn is over and play passes to the next player in order. On the other hand, if the player's token 16 lands on any other space 32, 34, 38, then the player's turn may continue according to the type of space 32, 34, 38 in which the player's token 16 lands.

If a player's token 16 lands on a pale yellow “Connecting Habits” space 32, a red “Disconnecting Habits” space 34, or a gold “Quality World” space 38, then the player draws one card 14 from the top of the corresponding stack of cards 40, 42, 44 and reads aloud the textual message 46 printed thereon. As described previously, the message 46 on each card relates to a particular habit or need. Next, the player thinks of an example of that habit or need, either from personal experience or observation or one that he invents himself. Requiring the players to give examples of the habits or needs further teaches the importance of controlling emotions and of using Connecting Habits rather than Disconnecting Habits. If the game 10 is to be utilized by players who are not very familiar with the themes on the various cards 40, 42, 44, then modified cards 40, 42, 44 that include complete examples or scenarios of the various themes (habits or needs) may be particularly useful. Optionally, a player drawing a “scenario”-type card may read the scenario aloud and relate it to similar occurrences in their own lives or that happened with someone they know. Regardless, in order to enable others to benefit from his thoughts, and/or to facilitate discussion, the player should describe the example (either his own or, if available, the one provided) orally. Once the player completes this task, the point value printed on the card 40, 42, 44 is credited to, or debited from, the player's score, and the card 40, 42, 44 is returned to the bottom of the pile from which it was drawn. Alternatively, in an advanced version of the game 10, points could be awarded subjectively by a moderator or even by the other players, although this may detract from the cooperative and sharing experience provided by the cards 40, 42, 44.

Although in the exemplary embodiment illustrated herein, no cards are included that correspond to the green neutral spaces 36, the game 10 may be further enhanced through the use of a set of “Neutral” cards (not shown). The themes of these cards would be neither pleasurable nor painful, but would be “neutral.” Neutral spaces 36 are included on the game board 12 because the human experience includes many relationships that are neither positive or negative, and although not necessary, cards could be used to illustrate behavior, experiences or the like that are likewise neither positive nor negative. Whether or not Neutral cards are included, it is suggested that no points be awarded to any player whose token 16 lands on a neutral space 36.

Each player continues rolling the die 18, moving his token 16, and when a card 14 is drawn, providing an example of the habit or need shown on the card 14 and receiving the corresponding number of points shown on the card 14 until the player accumulates a predetermined number of points. As noted previously, the predetermined number may be chosen in conjunction with the point values that are chosen for the cards 14, and may be adjusted up or down to create a longer or shorter game, respectively. In one exemplary embodiment, the predetermined number of points is 100. When the player accumulates the predetermined number of points, he removes his token 16 from the Situation A area 20 and places it on the designated “Start” space 31 in the Situation B area 22 of the board 12. Because positive point values are awarded to the player when his token 16 lands on Connecting Habits spaces 32, and provides examples thereof, and negative point values are awarded to the player when his token 16 lands on Disconnecting Habits spaces 34, a player who more quickly achieves more Connecting Habits than Disconnecting Habits will generally reach the predetermined number of points sooner. Thus, the game 10 teaches the players that for a person to move from a “Situation A” type of existence to a “Situation B” type of existence, one should employ more Connecting Habits and fewer Disconnecting Habits.

Once one or more players' tokens 16 move to the Situation B area 22, play continues in a similar manner to play in the Situation A area 20. When it is his or her turn, each player rolls the die, moves his token, and if applicable, draws a card 40, 42, 44 and provides a corresponding example. Once the player reaches the Situation B area 22, however, the player may win the game 10 by accumulating a second predetermined number of points. The second predetermined number of points may or may not be the same as the number of points needed to advance past Situation A. The rules of the game 10 might call for resetting the player's accumulated points to zero when his token 16 moves from the Situation A area 20 to the Situation B area 22, or they might permit the player to carry his points over from the Situation A area 20 to the Situation B area 22.

Preferably, in order to emphasize to the players the importance of using the Connecting Habits rather than the Disconnecting Habits, more of the game 10 is played in the Situation B area 22 than in the Situation A area 20 because of the higher proportion of Connecting Habits spaces 32 in the Situation B area 22 than in the Situation A area 20. In addition, if the game 10 is further enhanced through the inclusion of “Emotional Pitfall” spaces, described below, than it may be preferable to reduce the amount of time that a player is required to spend in the Situation A area 20 because of the greater likelihood of being forced to return to the Situation A area 20 over and over again, which may significantly prolong the game 10. In the exemplary embodiment described and illustrated herein, the predetermined number of points that must be accumulated in the Situation B area 22 is 1000.

As noted previously, the game 10 may be further enhanced through the inclusion of one or more “Emotional Pitfall” spaces 48 in the outer path of the Situation B area 22. Emotional Pitfalls represent those times in a person's life when, although the person has gained more effective control of his emotions, certain emotional events cause the person to lose control of his emotions and push him back into Situation A, where his thoughts and actions are once again governed by his emotions rather than the other way around. When a player's token 16 lands on an Emotional Pitfall space 48, the player must return to the designated “Start” space 31 in the Situation A area 20 and start over. This corresponds to a player once again using Disconnecting Habits more than he should and having to learn to control his emotions once again. In the game 10, the player must once again accumulate enough points, by using Connecting Habits, to return to the Situation B area 22. The rules of the game 10 may allow the person to “bank” the points that he had already accumulated in the Situation B area 22 such that when he returns to the Situation B area 22, he is able to reclaim those points, or the rules may dictate that all points accumulated in Situation B are forfeited if a player suffers an Emotional Pitfall.

In another optional enhancement, the game 10 may further include a set of “Escape” cards (not shown). Although the exact name given to such cards is not important, these cards may facilitate the inclusion of an additional dimension to game play by permitting players to decline to give an example when otherwise required to through the selection of a Connecting Habit card 40 or a Disconnecting Habit card 42. In a suggested method of playing the game 10, each player may be provided with one Escape card at the beginning of the game 10. During play, the player may then pass on having to give an example by surrendering his Escape card. Play would then pass to the next player with no further obligation due. However, each player would only be able to use his Escape card once during the game 10.

In playing the game, players are thus taught that Disconnecting Habits are present in both the Situation A area 20 and the Situation B area 22, just as they may be in life. In the Situation B area 22, players are encouraged to practice Connecting Habits through the inclusion of a larger proportion of Connecting Habits spaces 32 in the Situation B area 22, making it easier to succeed. Although not required, Emotional Pitfall spaces 48 may be included to demonstrate that there are times when a person operating successfully in Situation B may lose control of his emotions, thus triggering a return to Situation A in which such a person is much more likely to use Disconnecting Habits. Finally, Quality World spaces 38 are included to help players focus on the ultimate goals in life. When a player's token 16 lands on such a space 38, it illustrates the achievement of one of the Quality World needs, which are important in both the game 10 and in life.

The game 10 may be played in a variety of settings, including the classroom, individual or group counseling sessions, seminars, as one component of a larger program (including corporate or other organizational training programs), and many other situations. In many settings, it may be useful to have a moderator, counselor, teacher, facilitator, or other instructor, commentator or observer present to explain the game 10, provide background information and training about the principles of the game 10, encourage players to more actively participate in the example-sharing process, and the like, but it will be apparent that the use of an experienced third party is not necessary to the enjoyment or utility of the game 10.

Although the game 10 described and illustrated herein is in the form of traditional tabletop board game, it will be apparent that the game may be easily implemented in an electronic, software- or microcode-based form. The board game 10, cards 14, tokens 16, random number generator 18, background materials and instructions may all be provided on a personal computer or a handheld device (not shown), such as a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), a dedicated game unit, or the like, using a graphical user interface, the design of any of which could be easily accomplished by one of ordinary skill in the art. Such an implementation may also provide teaching and playing opportunities not available via a traditional tabletop board game, such as the enhanced ability for one player to play against a computer-driven opponent, or for players and moderators to participate from remote locations via a computer network, such as the internet Although some individual features, such as scorekeeping, may be automated for convenience, play would otherwise be similar to that of the traditional tabletop board game described herein, except that it may be useful for the electronic version of the cards 40, 42, 44 to be modified to include complete examples or scenarios of the various themes (habits or needs) as described previously. This may be particularly useful for any versions of the game 10 in which a person is playing by himself and thus has no one to whom behavior examples may be orally described.

It will therefore be readily understood by those persons skilled in the art that the present invention is susceptible of broad utility and application. Many embodiments and adaptations of the present invention other than those herein described, as well as many variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, will be apparent from or reasonably suggested by the present invention and the foregoing description thereof, without departing from the substance or scope of the present invention. Accordingly, while the present invention has been described herein in detail in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that this disclosure is only illustrative and exemplary of the present invention and is made merely for purposes of providing a full and enabling disclosure of the invention. The foregoing disclosure is not intended or to be construed to limit the present invention or otherwise to exclude any such other embodiments, adaptations, variations, modifications and equivalent arrangements, the present invention being limited only by the claims appended hereto and the equivalents thereof. 

1. A method for playing a board game designed to teach players how to control their interpersonal behavior to achieve one or more goals, the method comprising: providing a first play area having a first plurality of spaces connected together to form a first path along which tokens may be moved, the first path including spaces associated with a first behavior category interspersed with spaces associated with a second behavior category; providing a second play area having a second plurality of spaces connected together to form a second path along which tokens may be moved, the second path including spaces associated with the first behavior category interspersed with spaces associated with the second behavior category; associating the first behavior category with a theme of connecting behaviors; associating the second behavior category with a theme of disconnecting behaviors; providing a token for representing a particular player; moving the token from space to space along the first path in the first play area; upon the occurrence of a particular event during play, removing the token from the first play area and placing the token on a space in the second path in the second play area, the particular event being achievable regardless of which space in the first path the token is on when the particular event occurs; and thereafter, moving the token from space to space along the second path in the second play area; wherein the proportion of spaces corresponding to the first behavior category to spaces corresponding to the second behavior category is substantially higher in the second play area than in the first play area.
 2. The method for playing the board game of claim 1, wherein the theme of proper behavior patterns comprises a theme of connecting behaviors, and wherein the theme of improper behavior patterns comprises a theme of disconnecting behaviors.
 3. The method for playing the board game of claim 2, further comprising: initially, moving each token within the first play area; and achieving a preliminary goal in order to move at least one token from the first play area to the second play area.
 4. The method for playing the board game of claim 3, wherein achieving the preliminary goal includes accumulating a predetermined number of points in the first play area.
 5. The method for playing the board game of claim 4, further comprising the step of accumulating a predetermined number of points in the second play area in order to win the game.
 6. The method for playing the board game of claim 3, wherein providing a playing board includes providing a playing board such that the first plurality of spaces includes at least some spaces corresponding to proper behaviors and at least some of the spaces corresponding to improper behaviors, and further such that the second plurality of spaces includes at least some spaces corresponding to proper behaviors and at least some of the spaces corresponding to improper behaviors, and still further such that the proportion of spaces corresponding to proper behaviors to spaces corresponding to improper behaviors is substantially higher in the second play area than in the first play area.
 7. The method for playing the board game of claim 3, further comprising the step of providing a first set of textual messages whose content corresponds in theme to improper behaviors and a second set of textual messages whose content corresponds in theme to proper behaviors, the first and second sets of textual messages being used to control play when tokens land on spaces corresponding to improper behaviors and spaces corresponding to proper behaviors, respectively.
 8. The method for playing the board game of claim 2, further comprising the step of supervising, by a moderator trained in the study of interpersonal relationships, the steps of playing the game.
 9. A method for playing a board game designed to teach players how to control their interpersonal behavior to achieve one or more goals, the method comprising: providing a playing board having at least one play area, wherein the at least one play area includes a plurality of spaces connected together to form a path along which tokens may be moved, a first portion of the plurality of spaces of the at least one play area being associated with a first behavior category and a second portion of the plurality of spaces of the at least one play area being associated with a second behavior category, and wherein spaces of the first portion are interspersed along the path with spaces of the second portion; associating the first behavior category with a theme of connecting behaviors; defining the connecting behaviors as being interpersonal behaviors that tend to enhance or facilitate the creation of healthy interpersonal relationships; associating the second behavior category with a theme of disconnecting behaviors; defining the disconnecting behaviors as being interpersonal behaviors that tend to damage or inhibit the establishment or maintenance of healthy interpersonal relationships; providing a token for representing a particular player; and moving the token in at least one play area from one space to another space.
 10. The method for playing the board game of claim 9, further comprising: when a player's token lands upon a space with the first behavior category, providing an example of a connecting behavior; and when a player's token lands upon a space associated with the second behavior category, providing an example of a disconnecting behavior.
 11. The method for playing the board game of claim 10, wherein the respective examples of connecting and disconnecting behaviors are provided on cards drawn by the respective player from a collection of cards associated with the respective theme.
 12. The method for playing the board game of claim 10, wherein the respective examples of connecting and disconnecting behaviors are provided by the player whose token landed on the respective space.
 13. The method for playing the board game of claim 12, further comprising, when the player provides an example of a connecting behavior, awarding the player a number of points, the number of points being determined by another person based on the example provided by the player.
 14. The method for playing the board game of claim 10, further comprising, when an example of a connecting behavior is provided, awarding the respective player a number of points.
 15. The method for playing the board game of claim 14, further comprising the step of determining the winner of the game is determined based upon the accumulation of points by the players.
 16. The method for playing the board game of claim 14, wherein the number of points awarded the player is predetermined.
 17. The method for playing the board game of claim 10, wherein each example of a connecting behavior that is provided must be of a particular type of connecting behavior, the particular type being selected from a set of connecting behavior types according to the rules of the game.
 18. The method for playing the board game of claim 17, wherein each example of a disconnecting behavior that is provided must be of a particular type of disconnecting behavior, the particular type being selected from a set of disconnecting behavior types according to the rules of the game.
 19. The method for playing the board game of claim 17, further comprising the step of providing a set of cards associated with the theme of connecting behaviors, each card marked with an indicium corresponding to a particular type of connecting behavior.
 20. The method for playing the board game of claim 10, further comprising the step of supervising, by a moderator trained in the study of interpersonal relationships, the steps of playing the game. 